Study Summaries for Patients

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The CIBMTR performs ground-breaking research into blood and marrow transplant. This research has a significant impact on the survival and quality of life of thousands of transplant and cellular therapy patients. Here we provide summaries of CIBMTR research in an easy-to-read way. Now you and your family have access to useful information that can help you talk with your doctor about treatment options.

Study summaries are organized by disease / condition and other transplant characteristics. More easy-to-read information about transplant, including diseases treatable by transplant, is available on the
Be The Match website. For help understanding this information, contact the Be The Match Patient Support Center at 1 (888) 999-6743 or
patientinfo@nmdp.org.

Diseases and Conditions

Acute leukemia includes
acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and
acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). AML is the most common type of acute leukemia. Nearly 15,000 new cases are found in the United States each year. AML can affect people of any age, but is most common in adults. There are about 6,000 new cases of ALL in the United States each year. It can affect people of any age, but is the most common type of leukemia in children under 15.

​People with acute leukemia who got only chemotherapy (chemo) to prepare them for transplant lived almost as long as people who got chemo plus radiation, but their risks for leukemia recurrence were higher. People had fewer side effects with chemo-only prep.

The types of cancers that affect children and teens are often different than the types that affect adults. Children and teens also respond to treatments differently than adults. Some cancers that affect children include leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, and lymphoma.

Chronic leukemia includes
chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL),
chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and
myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). CLL is primarily an adult disease. It is very rare in children and young adults. About 15,000 people are diagnosed each year in the United States. CML is a relatively common form of leukemia. It affects more than 20,000 people in the United States. There are 6,000 new cases each year. Most cases of CML appear in adults. MDS is uncommon before age 50, and the risk increases as a person gets older. It is most commonly diagnosed in people in their 70s. About 19,000 people are diagnosed with MDS in the United States each year.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common (sometimes serious) side effect of an allogeneic transplant. GVHD happens when cells from the donor (the graft) see the patient’s cells (the host) as different and attack them. GVHD can occur along a spectrum that includes acute or chronic GVHD.

Lymphoma includes
Hodgkin lymphoma and
non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). About 9,000 people are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the United States each year. It can occur in both children and adults. But it is more common among young adults and older adults. About 69,000 people are diagnosed with NHL in the United States each year. Most of these people are older than 60.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells. Plasma cells are a part of the immune system. More than 22,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year. Most people who have the disease are age 65 or older.

Transplant is also used to treat other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and
sickle cell disease. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease, that attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). More than 2.3 million people are affected by MS worldwide. Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. Women get MS more often than men. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease of the red blood cells. In the United States, it affects about 70,000-100,000 people. It is most common among people with African or Hispanic ancestry.

Doctors want to make transplant available to everyone who needs it. Research helps doctors know which patients are healthy enough and would benefit from transplant. It also helps doctors know when people don’t have access to transplant and understand why.

​​Most patients can find a well matched or a
very well matched available adult donor in the Be The Match Registry.

It is important to find the best donor as soon as possible, so the transplant isn't delayed. If a
very well matched donor isn't available, it is better to use a well matched donor than to wait to try to find a
very well matched one.

​​​Most patients can find a well matched or a
very well matched available adult donor in the Be The Match Registry.

It is important to find the best donor as soon as possible, so the transplant isn't delayed. If a
very well matched donor isn't available, it is better to use a well matched donor than to wait to try to find a
very well matched one.

​An older sibling donor is better than a younger, unrelated donor for patients who are 50 or older.

Looking at patients with a high performance score (healthier patients): Patients with older sibling donors survive longer, relapse less, and get less GVHD than patients with younger, unrelated volunteer donors.

A transplant can have a long-term impact on a person’s health and wellbeing. Late effects are health problems that can happen months or years after treatment. For example, treatment can affect fertility, physical and emotional health, and risk of other cancers.

​Bone marrow or stem cell transplant survivors should actively protect their health.This can help speed up their recovery and improve the quality of their life.It can also lower their risk of developing health problems in later years.

​Researchers at CIBMTR created a free, online VOD Risk Calculator for doctors. Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is a rare liver problem that may happen after preparation for blood or marrow transplant (BMT).